Soy Candle Care Guide

While it might not seem all that crucial, how you care for your soy candles prior, during, and after burning, can really change your experience of both fragrance & flame! Follow these simple steps to ensure cleaner, safer, long lasting burns.

1. Let It Burn

The first time you light your candle, it is necessary - yes, necessary! - that you allow it to form a full melt pool before extinguishing. If you cannot dedicate the time to this first memory burn, wait to light your candle; otherwise, you may be left with a constant buildup of wax along the sides of the jar (tunneling). Generally, a candle will create a melt pool at a rate of 1 inch out from the center of the wick per hour. For our smaller candles, this means about two to three hours, and for our larger candles, about three to four hours.

2. Let It Sit

Do not touch or move candles while they are lit, or immediately after they are extinguished, to avoid dropping, spilling, or breaking your candle. If you must move your candle, always test how hot it is before pressing your hand to the glass.

3. Trim Your Wick

Before you re-light your candle, trim your wick to remove any carbon buildup (mushrooms). This will reduce the amount of smoke created as the wick absorbs the wax. Natural carbon balls might not always form, so be mindful of how the wick looks before lighting.

before (left) & after (right) trimming a wick mushroom

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Post-Burn Notes

These are small batch goods made by hand using all natural materials, so they may sometimes look imperfect. Additive-free soy wax will appear cracked & crystallized after solidifying. This is proof that the wax has not been tampered with or blended with additional ingredients.

Sometimes wicks will dislodge because of the eco-safe glue used, but once the candle begins to cool you can swirl the jar to realign the wick to the center, or use a toothpick to do so. This rarely happens, but it’s a good thing to note!

In the case that your candle appears to tunnel, this can be fixed by gently swirling the wax around the edges of the container, and wrapping a sheet of aluminum foil around the upper portion of the jar (with some foil extending upwards of the jar about 2 inches). Leave the foil until the candle is no longer tunneling.

Sometimes a wick will burn out while a small amount of wax remains. If you have a large collection of candles you might consider investing in an electric or tea-light fueled warmer to continue enjoying your candle till the very end.

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4. Reuse

Once you’ve depleted your candle of its wax, you can clean out the jar & use the container for storage or display purposes. Never put candles in a dishwashing machine or wash with other items. Use a hair dryer or place candles in the oven at the lowest setting until wax liquifies, and wipe out with isopropyl alcohol. Candle jars make wonderful homes for dried herbs, crystals, art supplies, and so much more!